Choice
by StarsOfYaoi
Summary: *Gen, Ensemble, Alpha and Beta kids* When they win the game, they are asked one simple question. Each of them has to answer.


**SOY:** I had this idea a while ago, I hope you'll find it interesting.

…–…–…–…–…–…

**Rating**: T

**Disclaimer**: I don't own HomeStuck.

…–…–…–…–…–…

**Choice**

When the universe accepts them in, it's silent.

They move into the galaxy, hovering in a place that is the entire universe and yet closes around them like a blanket. It's warm yet cold, finite yet infinite.

There is a moment –a small fraction of time that seems to last forever for some of them, while for others it's gone in the blink of an eye– where they are left suspended in this void that has the light of a million stars and the darkness of the depths of the universe.

Within this space, a green light is born from within their bodies, and slowly grows to envelop them, shielding their minds from the infinite of the universe.

They all hear a voice. It is not a metaphorical voice, nor a physical voice.

It simply is a voice, and speaks to them, to each of them, and asks a question.

It's simple, yet loaded with so much, most of them don't know what the answer can be.

Some do.

Some ask some more time, and for them, time stretches forwards, and one second gives birth and ends an entire galaxy.

Most of them are _afraid_; they linger there, in the space-that-is-but-is-not, and think.

They think what the others would say.

They think what's the right thing to say. They wonder what will happen, what choice is the best one.

What choice is right for _them_, but also for the _others_.

Some realize they can't think about anyone else. Some realize they can't think about themselves only. They are not alone, but they are not together, either.

It's a one-on-one, and they have to take responsibility, one way or the other.

Lips barely moving, unable to contain what they feel about it, they all end up taking a stance.

They all choose.

The question is the same, but the way it is asked is different. The reply is also the same, but given in different ways.

A broken clock, a scratched coin, a tear rolling down one cheek, the ripping of clothes, jewels being dropped, weapons discharged.

When they all open their eyes, it's to a new start.

…–…–…

John remembers.

He has learned too much during the game, he's grown and he's allowed himself to become something new. He has seen a lot, too, but that's ok. He cherishes everything, and every single memory.

He has learned that to be a hero you don't need to move worlds, but to be willing to fight for what is right, and that a hero doesn't always know what to do, but he has other heroes to lean on when he needs it.

He settles on top of a mountain, where the winds blow strong, and stares at the world under him with a smile. Then he gathers wood and builds a shelter, slowly, with his own hands and strength, and when night comes he sits outside, watches the stars blink in a black, endless sky, and smiles.

There are movies, there are meetings, there are friends.

And there is the wind.

…–…–…

Rose forgets.

She has learned so much, too much, and the grasp the horrorterrors had on her mind always threatened to take her down.

She was the one who could see everything, who always knew a lot, who always prided to know everything, and now she can rest, breathe in, and relax.

Her decision was to be free from the ties with the dark, to finally be reborn into the light, and while there's a bit of guilt, she knows her friends will not judge her for that.

She wakes up with a troll sitting at her side, and while she has no idea who the other is, she feels compelled to hold her hand and never let it go.

The troll smiles gently, pointed fangs and coloured lips, and assures her that they have an entire life of getting to know each other.

She can't See anymore, but she feels it is alright.

…–…–…

Dave remembers.

He takes the longest to decide, and while his brain demands him to let go, to have finally a chance at being something else, someone else, free from what he's been forced to become, he negates that.

If he needs to change, he'll do it on his own terms, and facing the future with everything of him intact.

He has far too many memories piling up, of times when it didn't go right, of times where it was going so well until it _wasn't_ anymore, memories that doesn't _belong_ but they _do_.

Lifetimes of regrets, but also lifetimes of opportunities.

He hurts and hurts, but in the end, he finally accepts, and when he steps out, washed out and tired, he feels purged and new.

He slides his shades off, carefully places them in his pocket, and walks away.

He has _so much_ time now.

…–…–…

Jade forgets.

She wakes up crying, and doesn't know why, but she feels like there is a weight on her chest that is missing, and as she stands up, she feels light and happy and bubbly.

All her being has been shaped because of the game and thanks to it, and even though she doesn't know it anymore, she chose to forget because she wanted to have a chance to grow to be her own person

Find out who the Jade underneath Jade was.

She has no idea where she is, but it is ok, because the place looks enormous and there are no confines, no stops. Everything is wide and beautiful and wild, and she knows that she can choose to go wherever she wants.

There are no confines for her anymore.

She is totally free, and for the first time, just Jade.

…–…–…

Jane remembers.

There was a time when she unknowingly hurt her best friend by refusing to believe, and while she's long since repented for that, and Roxy never held it against her, Jane will never be able to _forgive_ herself for lacking trust.

She knows better now.

She has seen impossible things happen. She has faced threats and has come out of them as a winner, solely because she had her friends there to give her strength.

Jane remembers living a coddled life. Never double guessing anything, never really daring, not ready and yet ready since the very start.

Her friends surrounded her, protected her, saved her life, and offered her love and trust.

She thinks that it would be unfair to forget that.

The tree of her life has finally blossomed, born from strong roots of love and friendship.

This new world is big, and it's enticing and scary, but Jane isn't afraid anymore.

She has her entire life to spread her branches and grow.

…–…–…

Roxy remembers it _all_.

Everything is painted inside her brain in vivid colours, and nothing is grey and nothing is blurry anymore, and it would be suptid

*stupid

to forget.

Her mind is clear and her brain ticks, but the flow of coherent thoughts doesn't hurt anymore.

To forget would mean let the void trap her within again, this time robbing her not of her lucidity, but of her entire self.

She doesn't want to get lost anymore, she wants to face the truth and accept everything she is.

Accept the loves she's lost, accept the loves she's gained.

The void in her chest has stopped growing, and is finally starting to close.

…–…–…

Dirk forgets.

He wakes up surrounded with pieces of metal, and while he looks at them, he feels something inside him ache. His hands touch the crooked surface that once was a face, unseeing eyes of a robot he doesn't remember building.

There are tears rolling down his eyes as he picks up the pieces, hands trembling.

Dirk has let go of his memories because being in control was good for this one life, but it's nice to learn to let go, and even if he doesn't remember that.

The metal is cold under his fingertips, but welcome and familiar, and he feels shivers down his back as he starts picking up the pieces.

For a long time he's never had any company but that of those robots surrounding him, and he's built himself as he built them. It's time to rebuild his soul, one piece at a time.

He will find how to rebuild the discarded metal pieces around him, and find out himself as he does so.

His heart is set for a new challenge.

…–…–…

Jake remembers.

He has lived his whole life being strong for himself, and then he's learned how to be strong for others, too.

There comes a time in every person, when you want to grow strong enough to face what you are without running. That moment has come for Jake a long time ago, and he feels he's done everything he could.

It's time to learn and adapt.

He is strong, but he's also weak. All he is, is because his friends were there to hold him up, offering him support.

Hope has always been strong within him, because hope was born from his chums, and from them it takes strength.

It's time to share with them the gift they so graciously shared with him.

Jake smirks at the new universe and starts walking.


End file.
